Upper Deck unveiled images of two upcoming cards on Tuesday featuring Ken Griffey Jr. upon his return with the Seattle Mariners.

While Griffey made his first appearance with the team on Saturday, one card featuring images from that debut will appear as a short-printed insert card in 2009 Upper Deck Piece of History, which arrives in April.

The second card is a caricature card much like last year’s Presidential Predictors showing Griffey standing at Seattle’s Pike’s Place Market, awaiting a fish thrown to him by the team’s mascot, the Mariner Moose. It will be available at select hobby shops across the country as a gift with purchase shortly before Opening Day on April 6.

“Ken Griffey Jr. has meant so much to the Upper Deck Company over the last two decades,” said Jason Masherah, Upper Deck’s senior sports brand manager. “His rookie card basically put us on the map 20 years ago, so it’s our pleasure to be the first company to release updated cards showing Junior returning to his original team: the Seattle Mariners.”

Chris Olds has collected sports cards and memorabilia since 1987. Before coming to Beckett Media, he wrote about the hobby for the Orlando Sentinel on his blog, SportsStuff, and for the San Antonio Express-News and The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News. Do you have a comment, question or idea? Send e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.